Cloud News & Articles

Amazon's new AWS Storage Gateway helps connect businesses' on-premises software appliances with cloud-based data storage to better integrate local and AWS-based apps and data with a range of backup options.

Nimble, Flotype and Lithium Technologies kicked off 2012 with funding ranging from US$ 1 million up to US$ 53.4 million.

 Microsoft has been taking big steps to make its cloud platform, Windows Azure, more attractive. Just last week the company announced support for several popular open source development tools including Node.js and Hadoop. It seems that the company is intent on ensuring that Windows Azure remains the leading choice for Microsoft-based cloud services, but the company shouldn’t get too comfortable on its throne. VMWare and little-known Tier 3 have stepped forward to provide Microsoft a little competition. Game on, Azure.

Our friends at Gartner kick off their latest "summit" this week in a chilly but vibrant Las Vegas, Nevada. The focus of the conference, when not at the slot machines or blackjack tables, is Application Architecture, Development and Integration.

We all (hopefully) use cloud services in some form, but with more apps starting to rely on them, expect Windows 8 to have cloud at the core, along with the endless possibilities of Kinect's motion, audio and lip-reading skills.

Apple is developing a supplier relationship with Japan's Sharp for the production of OLED panels. But more than just the iPhone, iPod and iPad, Sharp may already be working on screens meant for an integrated Apple TV, which will show programs synced with iCloud.

Context first. This is what Bob Egner, VP of Product Management and Global Marketing for Web CMS vendor EPiServer is excited about.

In an exclusive CMSWire interview Egner and CMSWire staff dug into the fundamentals of Customer Experience Management, how Web CMS vendors differentiate -- or don't, the cloud and PaaS vs. SaaS, how to go mobile more simply and the big challenges facing vendors in 2012.

Let's have a look:

In "Sizing The Cloud", a report published by Forrester Research this past April, the analyst firm predicted that the total size of the public cloud market will grow from US$ 25.5 billion in 2011 to $159.3 billion in 2020.

An increasing number of global enterprises are turning to Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions because of the speed, innovation and cost effectiveness Cloud technologies provide. However, one angle on the cloud that is not so often discussed is the ROI on its relative agility for marketers and content managers.

If this topic captures your imagination, join us this Thursday November 10th for a live webcast with leading Forrester analyst Tim Walters, PhD.

Forrester's Tim Walters will present the rationale behind the success of Cloud technology and explain how e-marketers can leverage its power to build successful digital enterprises.

Topics include:

• Discussing the root cause of dissatisfaction with current Web CMS and customer experience tools


• Stepping into SaaS on a project basis as an alternative to rip-and-replace of legacy solutions


• Exploring whether cloud solutions are an integration concern or whether there could be an integration advantage


• When is the right time to consider SaaS? Is this still an early-adopter market option?

You can reserve your seat here. The conversation kicks-off this Thursday November 10th at 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern.

This month we take a closer look at how organizations are leveraging cloud-based infrastructures and services -- and how these changes are shifting related business practices.

For some it's about enabling better collaboration, for others it's agile management of web content and digital experiences. And for many it's about cost savings and quicker implementation times.

We'd like to know how the cloud is impacting your professional life. So, here's our question for the month:

Our poll is open until November 20th, but don't keep us waiting -- we'd love to see your response today.

By some cloud magic, and a lot of user-side shuffling, you can just about get your desktop email, browser bookmarks and some documents accessible on any device of your choice. But shouldn't open access be a no-brainer, no-action-required, offering from Amazon, Google, Apple and others when offering us cloud-based services?

It’s not easy being an enterprise architect. They go by many names. You may know them as an information architect or business analyst or that guy in IT. No matter what you refer to them as, their job is not easy.

A new partnership between SaaS Web CMS provider CrownPeak (news, site) and Magus (news, site) targets governance-concerned organizations managing their web content in the cloud.

Businesses are increasingly warming up to the use of mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets for productivity and improved collaboration. But while there is the need to ensure their data is secure when accessed on mobile devices, not everyone can afford big IT departments and dedicated hardware to manage their tech-related assets. With this in mind, Research In Motion (news, site) has launched a cloud-based management service for BlackBerry devices.

Cloud-based storage and collaboration provider Box.net (news, site) is making no secret of the fact that their document management philosophy lovingly embraces the mobile device world. Today they've launched new native applications for Android and Blackberry Playbook tablets, and a web-based HTML5 version of their apps for any HTML5-compliant mobile browser. Here's a closer look.

Back in April, we wrote about Novell's (news, site) latest SaaS offering, Vibe Cloud, which was supposedly a challenger to established enterprise collaboration tools like Chatter and Yammer. With a refocusing of its corporate strategy (and a new president), Novell is decommissioning the service, in favor of its Vibe OnPrem on-premise solution.